This invention relates generally to rackets used in playing sports such as Tennis, Racket Ball, and the like, particularly to devices adapted to be attached to such rackets for added weight during warm-up exercises.
Heretofore, various items of sports equipment have been provided with weights for use during pre-game exercise periods. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,414,260 an adjustable weight exerciser is provided for use with tennis rackets, golf clubs or baseball bats. With tennis rackets the weight is mounted in the center of the racket head in lieu of racket strings. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,913,911 a pair of weights are rigidly secured to either side of the racket head adjacent the racket throat. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,801,099 supplementary dead weights are secured along the sides of a tennis racket head frame while in U.S. Pat. No. 3,907,292 a set of weights is movably positioned inside a racket head frame. Some of these devices have been designed to be used exclusively during warm-up periods in advance of actual play, while with others improved racket performance during play has been sought.
The just described tennis racket attachments and modifications of a permanent nature have obviously not been intended to constitute warm-up devices as such inasmuch as the racket weight remains the same both during warm-up periods as well as during play. Conversely, those devices by which weights are secured to a racket head frame in lieu of racket strings have been intended to provide rackets for use exclusively during warm-up and without convertibility therafter to a playing racket of ordinary play weight. Thus it is often desirable to use a warm-up device for a tennis racket or the like which may be detachably mounted to a conventional racket during warm-up period and then removed for regular play.
Heretofore, as exemplified by U.K. Pat. No. 3,126, a locking device consisting of concentric rings or discs has been provided for attachment to the strings of the tennis racket to render it unfit for use until the device is unlocked and removed from the racket head. Such a device inherently does add weight to the racket head thereby rendering it suitable in retrospect as a warm-up device. However, since the locking device is secured to the playing surface of the racket head it is not feasible to actually stroke balls with the racket during the warm-up exercise. Furthermore, such a device may damage the strings if the racket is used with it attached. In French Pat. No. 1,376,724 a removable plug is provided adapted to be detachably mounted to a tennis racket throat in altering the weight of the racket head. Inherently, such a device could also serve as a warm-up attachment. However, this device is attached through the use of a threaded screw assembly necessitating the use of an ancillary tool. Furthermore, the detachable weight is added at the approximate position of the center of gravity of the entire racket which tends substantially to lessen its effectiveness.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved warm-up device for a tennis racket or the like.
More specifically, it is the object of the invention to provide a warm-up device for a racket which may be detachably secured to the racket head.
Another object of the invention is to provide a warm-up device for a racket of the type described which, when attached, does not interfere with the playing surface of the racket head.
Another object of the invention is to provide a warm-up device for a racket which may be attached and detached with ease.
Another object of the invention is to provide a warm-up device for a racket which, when attached to a racket head, is held snuggly and securely in place.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a warm-up device for a racket of relatively simple and economic construction and which does not appreciably detract from the aesthetic appearance of the racket when attached thereto.